Chapter 741: 102 Is Everything Ready? (20,000/100,000)

Half a million taels, compared to the court’s tax revenue for a year, was nothing, but it depended on the timing.

Maintaining the court and supporting military expenditure requires a large amount of silver, the court is already “poor”, waiting for the spring to resume farming, back to the breath.

The original purpose of the peace is to “live”, Yunzhou wants to push Dafeng to death through the negotiation of peace, and the court will definitely not agree.

Yongxing Emperor faintly said:

“I intend to make peace with Yunzhou, but it seems that it is Yunzhou that is unwilling to make peace with the court.”

Ji Yuan frowned:

“Your Majesty, this makes it difficult for me, my Yunzhou army is as strong as a rainbow, if not for my father’s concern for the world’s life, I am afraid that now I would have long been at the city’s doorstep. Our Yunzhou sincere peace talks, how come in the eyes of the court, like in the alms beggar?”

He again mentions the superiority of the Yunzhou army on the battlefield, hinting at the unequal relationship between the two sides.

At those words, Emperor Yongxing and the princes frowned.

At that moment, Ji Yuan suddenly turned his words around and sighed:

“That’s just it, this official will take the liberty of taking a step back, this year’s annual tribute can be discounted by half, but it will have to be made up in the coming year.

“Your Majesty, my lords, what do you think?”

Yongxing Emperor silently exhaled a breath and said with a smile:

“As for the details, I will leave it to the Honglu Temple to consult with the Ji envoys.”

The so-called bylaws are a continuation of haggling and tug-of-war.

The deliberations in front of the temple are only a general discussion, and the finer details are not talked about.

Xu Yuanxiang listened silently, almost figuring out Ji Yuan’s routine, last night Ji Yuan and Ge Wenxuan’s phallic conch transmissions, discussing and analyzing in advance the hearts of the Emperor of Dafeng and the princes, as well as their approximate ability to withstand the situation.

The conclusion reached was that the limit was between two hundred thousand and two hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver (the silks were counted separately).

On the way out, Xu Yuanxiang was still thinking that this first condition might be a “tough battle”, but with Ninth Brother’s eloquence, I think it won’t be too much of a problem.

Only now did he realize that he had still underestimated Ji Yuan.

Why did he estimate so accurately ………. Xu Yuanxiang’s heart fluttered, guessing that it was related to yesterday’s test of posing outside the capital.

After initially finalizing the first condition, Ji Yuan continued:

“The second condition, Father hopes that His Majesty will widely post notices recognizing that my lineage in Yunzhou is also orthodox in the Central Plains.”

The princes remained calm about it, and no one jumped out with snappy accusations.

“Deception!”

Prince Qian, the younger brother of Emperor Yuan Jing, who wore regular clothes, stepped out with great strides and looked angrily at Ji Yuan, drinking:

“You rebels are worthy of calling the Central Plains orthodox? They are nothing more than bandits who occupy the mountains.”

Immediately, several monarchs and princes stepped out and followed suit.

In stark contrast to the reaction of the princes, the attitude of the royal clansmen was extremely vehement, the Central Plains lineage counts as the Central Plains orthodoxy, what about us? Are we traitors?

If you have to look deeper, it’s still true, but because of this, the Daebung Royal Clan will never admit or back down.

Ji Yuan’s face turned cold as he swept over several princes and county kings and faintly said:

“How did Emperor Wuzong gain the world back then, don’t you all know that in your hearts? It is only human nature for us to want our identity and status back.”

The same Prince who had stepped forward earlier reprimanded:

“Five hundred years ago, when the dim emperor was ruthless, kissing the wise ministers and keeping the villains away, brutalizing the loyal and good, Emperor Wu Zong stepped forward to protect the ancestral foundation, which was a matter of obedience to the people’s heart.”

Ji Yuan pinched and plucked up his voice:

“The late emperor Yuan Jing was muddleheaded and incompetent, indulging in the beauty of the head of the human Zong Dao, cultivating for twenty years and ignoring the government, so that the people are not happy. My Yunzhou lineage can’t bear to see our ancestor’s foundation destroyed by the hands of a dimwitted emperor, so we rise up, which is also a manifestation of heaven’s justice and follows the people’s heart.”

Several princes and county kings were furious:

“Speaking out of turn! Your Majesty, this son should be beheaded!”

If it were left to the princes to choose, this would be an offer that could be agreed to without hesitation, because no substantial price would have to be paid.

Of course, it’s not without cost.

Once the court recognized this matter, then the cloud state party will become “rightful”, the people to submit to the second, afraid of those who are afraid of the landlords, local officials will be justified defection, defection to the cloud state.

Since it is the orthodoxy of the Central Plains, it is not a betrayal, even if you want to be a loyalist and would rather die than surrender, it is difficult.

But these are minor matters, for in the present situation of the Dafeng, the fight is unwinnable, and since it is unwinnable, it is only a matter of time before the officials defect and turn to the other side.

So there is not much resistance to this from the gentlemen.

But in the eyes of the royal clansmen, recognizing Yunzhou as the orthodoxy of the Central Plains can be more difficult to accept than half a million taels of silver, because it is a betrayal of the ancestors.

Emperor Yongxing frowned and slowly said:

“This matter will be discussed later!”

He does not intend to make a decision at this time, anyway, the temple before the meeting is to set the main tone of the “two countries” negotiations, involving the details of the complex, not a short period of time can produce results.

Unexpectedly, Ji Yuan was extremely strong and shook his head:

“Before coming here, Father gave a special explanation that in this matter, if Your Majesty does not agree, there is no need for the peace talks to continue.”

It’s the equivalent of blocking the words.

Either you, the Yongxing Emperor, agree or suspend the peace talks, Yunzhou will never back down on this matter.

“Delusional!”

Honorable King also stood out and said in a deep voice:

“This king can also tell you that the court will never back down on this matter.”

Ji Yuan sighed as he stood with his hands folded:

“This official has already made such great concessions on the annual tribute and given the court enough face, I did not expect to get such a return.”

He blushed and snapped:

“Are you really not afraid of my 100,000 iron horsemen of Yunzhou!”

First occupy the reason, and then use the power, the waist straight, a group of princes and county kings set off the strong words, do not know how to appreciate.

A county king droned:

“Then I’ll kill you first as a sacrifice!”

Ji Yuan sneered:

“If this official was afraid of death, he would not have entered the capital.”

In fact, the real purpose of the peace talks is to force the Dafeng to cut off the land and beg for peace without bloodshed, and to fight for the territory is the core goal of Yunzhou.

This was because the more territory one obtained, the more Qi Master Xu Pingfeng condensed, the closer he would be to the Heavenly Fate Master.

Ji Yuan bit on the second condition and did not let go, at first glance, it seems to be the end of the matter, in fact, it is to eat the Yongxing Emperor will agree.

The reputation of the clan has to take a back seat compared to the actual benefits, life and death.

And this matter is more of a dispute between the two lines of the Da Bong royal family, not really touching on the core interests, and the opposition of the princes is not high.

Then, just as the several royal clansmen screamed any more, they would be nothing more than impotent rage.

Yongxing Emperor stared at Ji Yuan for a moment and said word for word:

“Yes, I promise!”

At these words, the faces of the clansmen in the hall changed and shouted:

“Your Majesty …….”

Emperor Yongxing raised his hand and forced back the princes and county kings with a sharp gaze:

“My mind is made up!”

Including King Yu, a group of clansmen looked at Emperor Yongxing with disappointment in their eyes.

Emperor Yongxing turned to Ji Yuan and asked:

“What is the third condition.”

Ji Yuan stretched out his palm, spreading his five fingers wide and said aloud:

“Cession of land, Da Feng is going to cede Yong, Yu and Zhang Chou to us.”

Inside the Golden Palace, a moment of dead silence, and then in the next moment set off a cacophony of discussion.

Even though all of you, as well as the Yongxing Emperor, had guessed in advance that Yunzhou might ask for compensation and cession of land, they did not expect the appetite to be so big.

The two sides had fought and killed for so long, and Da Bong had only lost one Qingzhou.

And then try to take the three states without bloodshed through peace talks?

First Counselor Qian Qingshu stepped out and swept his gaze icily over Ji Yuan and the others, saying:

“Although Qingzhou has been lost, the Great Feng still has eleven continents of territory and many soldiers and generals, do you really think that you are afraid of a tiny place in your district, Yunzhou?

“His Majesty’s willingness to negotiate peace with you is likewise because he can’t bear to see the people suffer from war again, and it’s not because he’s afraid of your Yunzhou.”

Ji Yuan laughed out loud and said:

“If I remember correctly, before the fall harvest, Wei Yuan led 100,000 elites to crusade against the Witch God Cult, and nearly lost his entire army, for one thing.

“After winter, the imperial court once again gathered 90,000 troops and fought with my Yunzhou generals in a fierce battle in Qingzhou, losing more than half of them, this is the second.

“The troops of the three northwestern states, on the other hand, should be used to defend against the harassment of the allied forces in the western region, and cannot be drawn out to support the southern war effort, this is the third.

“Many soldiers, good one, many soldiers, dare I ask First Counselor Qian, does the court still have the strength to fight with me in Yunzhou?”

Every time Ji Yuan said a sentence, the faces of the princes in the hall became uglier.

They would not verbally admit it, but in their hearts they knew that what Ji Yuan said was true and hit the nail on the head.

The war in the western Leizhou is not serious, the allied forces of the western countries are mainly harassing, small wars are constant, and there are no big wars, after all, the Buddha Sect has the Southern Border Demon Race to hold them back.

But it’s true that you can’t massively redeploy troops as a precaution.

Qian Qingshu was momentarily speechless, he did not bother to argue, whisking his sleeve and coldly humming.

Seeing that the Chief Minister was disliked and indignant, all the public officials looked at each other, pondering how to retort.

At that moment, the Minister of the Household walked out and slowly said:

“If I remember correctly, in the 30th year of Yuanjing, the people of Yunzhou were recorded as 830,000 households, dare I ask Envoy Ji, does Yunzhou have ten households to raise one soldier, or twenty households to raise one soldier? How did you get 100,000 iron horsemen?

“How many elites Yunzhou has is something that can be calculated. A skinny camel is bigger than a horse, no matter how weakened the Da Feng is, it’s always not a problem to spell out all of your Yunzhou’s elites.”

The Minister of the Household, who is most sensitive to data on money, grain, household registration and population.

Liu Hong, the left imperial historian, whirled out and concurred:

“The end result is nothing more than a lose-lose situation, and let’s not forget that the Witch God Sect is watching from the sidelines, and the allies of the Buddhist Sect aren’t really pulling out their hearts and souls for your Cloud State, are they?”

He had just attempted to continue presenting the situation and convince this young man from Yunzhou.

Then he was interrupted by loud laughter, Ji Yuan’s face was full of ridicule, saying:

“Lord Liu, these words are enough to fool a three year old, don’t you think it’s too ridiculous to move your lips and steal concepts in front of this official?”

He looked to the head of the household:

“This lord is right, but so what? Now that Qingzhou is under our control, all the stragglers can be used as soldiers, if you want to spell out all of Yunzhou’s elite even though you’re here to try.

“In addition, the Supervisor has already been decapitated by our State Master in Qingzhou, without this guardian deity, how can you have the courage to say that you have spelled out all of my Yunzhou’s elite?”

It was finally inevitable that the subject would come up.

It is because of the loss of the Supervisor, Yongxing Emperor and the princes were scared out of their wits, and a while ago, they didn’t dare to sleep at night, fearing that that group of terrible transcendental powerhouses would kill the capital city, kill the palace, and remove their own heads in their dreams.

Minister Sun of the Ministry of Justice sniffed and retorted:

“Although the Supervisor is dead, the Dafeng is not without transcendent powerhouses; Sun Xuanji of the Siantian Supervisor, State Master Luo Yuheng, and Zhao Shou, the Dean of the Cloud Deer Academy, as well as …….. Xu Qi’an!”

“That’s right, we still have Xu Yinluo.” As if giving themselves another boost, someone chimed in.

Ji Yuan smiled without saying anything, and a scarlet-robed official behind him snorted:

“Even Supervisor Zheng died at the hands of our State Master, Xu Qi’an is a mere third rank, and he is worthy of competing with him? It seems that the Ninth Prince is too humble, making you think that I, Yunzhou, am afraid of the Great Feng.

“If you want to negotiate peace, then agree to our conditions. If you don’t want to negotiate peace, naturally, a strong person from my Yunzhou will kill the capital and destroy you first. Afterwards, the army of Yunzhou will descend on the city and enter the Central Plains.

“Do you have any other options?”

Tearing down the face is a necessary part of the negotiation process, and the powerful party holds the chips in their hands, which are used to apply pressure.

The land must be ceded, and how much or how little is the fine print of the negotiations.

Ji Yuan lightly shook his silver bone small fan and faintly said:

“Your Majesty and all of you may not be aware of the details of the day Supervisor Zheng’s body fell, then again, Supervisor Zheng is indeed incredibly powerful, if it wasn’t for the Master of the State inviting the White Emperor, the legendary divine beast of Yunzhou, as well as the head of the Earth Sect’s dao, the Black Lotus Taoist Master, it would have been as hard as climbing into the heavens trying to kill Supervisor Zheng, naaah.”

He slowly and methodically recounted the process of the day when all the powerful people surrounded and killed the Supervisor Zheng, of course, it was all made up, but that was not important, what was important was that through the so-called process, he let Emperor Yongxing and all the princes understand how terrifying the transcendent powerhouses behind Yunzhou were.

The royal clansmen, civil officials and military generals in the temple, their faces are extremely ugly, or their faces are gloomy, or their fists are clenched, or they are helpless and frustrated.

Humiliation!

Emperor Yongxing couldn’t help but pinch his brows and said in a deep voice:

“The land of the three continents is categorically impossible, the matter will be discussed later, what is the fourth condition.”

It means that the cession of land has been promised, and the quantity is still to be negotiated.

The corner of Ji Yuan’s mouth was raised, his purpose had been achieved, and as of now, everything went smoothly in this negotiation without too many twists and turns.

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty, this fourth condition, it’s nothing, it’s just an addendum.”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yongxing’s sullen face eased slightly and said:

“But there’s no harm in saying it.”

Ji Yuan “snapped” closed the small silver bone fan:

“This official wants to ask His Majesty for the Supervisor’s smithing handbook.”

Compared to the first three conditions, this was indeed an addition, although a first-grade warlock’s smithing handbook was bound to be incomparably valuable, but items of too high a level were not as important as tangible benefits.

……………

A crushing defeat!

The first encounter between the court and the Yunzhou mission was a losing one.

This peace negotiation was inherently unequal, and it was inevitable that Dafeng wanted to beg for peace and endure the pain, but the powerlessness shown by the princes and Yongxing Emperor during the process still left many middle and lower level Beijing officials cold and disappointed.

And those four conditions, to some readers, are simply disempowering.

“Cutting off the land and begging for peace, a strange shame!”

The first to get up is the Hanlin Academy, these hands nothing real power, but the dynasty is a first-class noble readers, the group gathered at the noon gate, cursing.

“Faint ruler, the mere loss of Qingzhou has made you scared out of your wits.”

“There is inherent death in man, and my generation of readers would rather die standing than live on their knees.”

“The Yunzhou lineage is orthodox? Then what is today’s royal family, and what are we readers loyal to, a dim ruler who forgets his ancestors by counting his roots.”

The men were then dragged out one by one to be caned at court and beaten to death.

This did deter some people, but could not control the fermentation of rumors, just after lunch, the state academy students will strike, the scholarly spirit is the sharpest, there are writing articles to mock; there are in the downtown crowd attack; there are impact on the office of the high priest hall, demanding to deliver a letter of blood to His Majesty ………

What happened in the morning court spread first in the official circles of the capital and the upper class, and then slowly trickled down to the lower class people, and by dusk, rumors were circulating in the marketplace that the imperial court had ceded its land and begged for peace, recognizing the rebels as the rightful ruler of the Central Plains.

“When I saw the bandit statemen enter the city yesterday, I knew the court had asked for peace.”

“Alas, can not fight the war of course the best, this world is chaotic …….. But think about it always feel reluctant na, how the court said defeat on defeat, last year sent troops to fight the Witch God Sect, that is how the scenery ah.”

“I heard that even the Supervisor is dead, that’s an old god in the Si Tian Supervisor. Alas, there’s going to be a change in the sky.”

“What about Xu Yinluo? Did Xu Yinluo stand by and watch the court cede land for peace.”

“Xu Yinluo also tried his best, didn’t the court post a notice a while ago saying that Xu Yinluo had allied with the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom and with the Compulsive Race, and that we don’t have the Buddha Sect as an ally, but we have other allies just the same.”

“Alas, who would have thought it, Qingzhou said to lose its defense, I’m not without hope, in the past, if there was anything, Xu Yinluo would always take the lead.”

………….

Stagecoach.

Ji Yuan took out his magic weapon and propped up a piece of soundproofing array, listening to his subordinate’s report, he laughed:

“It’s quite lively out there, these nerds who don’t know the heights of heaven, it’s just that, they’re all insignificant little people, our next goal is to test Xu Qi’an.”

Xu Yuanfang asked upon hearing that it was related to Xu Qi’an:

“How to try?”

The small silver-bone fan in Ji Yuan’s hand turned in a circle and said:

“For example, when I was near the end of the negotiations, I suddenly added a condition that demanded a marriage with the Dafeng, and the object had to be one of the two princesses of Lin’an Huaiqing.”

Xu Qi’an and Lin’an had a marriage contract, which he had pried from the people sent by Noble Consort Chen.

Xu Yuanfang frowned:

“Are you looking for death?”

If he really wanted to do so, whether the peace talks could succeed or not was one thing, and whether Xu Qi’an would let him leave the capital alive or not was another.

Ji Yuan laughed out loud:

“The two princesses are of the same clan as me, so naturally the marriage is not of our lineage, it’s Yuan Huai ah. How do you think Xu Qi’an would react? Can he lay hands on his own brother?”

“He will!” Xu Yuanhuai’s face changed abruptly, this was pushing him to his death.

“Just kidding, see how nervous you guys are.”

Ji Yuan smiled maliciously and suddenly sat upright, saying:

“Xu Qi’an hasn’t shown his face, and we don’t yet know what he’s playing behind his back.

“Although the Supervisor is sealed, but that’s the Supervisor ah, who knows what backhand will be left behind. The State Master doesn’t know either, so he’s going to test Xu Qi’an, test Xu Qi’an through peace talks as a way to understand the Supervisor Zheng’s backhand.”

Xu Yuanfang’s face slightly improved as she asked:

“What does Nine think, what cards will he have?”

Ji Yuan thought about it and smiled:

“Dead End!

“This is a dead end for Xu Qi’an. If I were him, I would have kept turning a blind eye to the peace talks, and then taken advantage of the time bought by the peace talks to go around begging grandpas and grandmothers, pulling in transcendent powerhouses as allies.

“So yeah, our trip to the capital is a credit for nothing, there won’t be any danger.”

The folding fan in Ji Yuan’s hand rotated:

“Even if he has heavenly skills, he can only hold his nose and admit it. Ah, would love to see his gesture of being at the end of his rope, but now is not the time, we have to wait until we break through the capital.”

………….

Jingxiu Palace.

“Mother consort, I heard Huaiqing say that once the land is ceded for peace, the Great Feng will be completely hopeless.”

Lin An said worriedly, her googly-eyed face no longer bright, tinted with a layer of gloom.

Noble Consort Chen said with some anxiety:

“There is no alternative to this; if we don’t seek peace, should we continue to fight Yunzhou? If there was a chance of victory, would His Majesty and all the princes be bent on negotiating peace.

“The only way out now is to negotiate peace, otherwise expect that fiancé of yours.”

Prosper bit her lip, watering:

“Why do you hate him so much, Mother Consort.”

A white-clothed figure flashed through Noble Consort Chen’s mind as she gritted her teeth:

“There’s not a single good thing in the surname Xu.”

She whirled around and softened, taking Advent’s hand:

“That Huaiqing grew up with a black heart, her words cannot be trusted. Lin’an, you don’t understand, no one can save the court now except by negotiating peace.”

…………

The King’s Mansion.

Qian Qingshu draped himself in a thick cloak and went straight to Wang Zhenwen’s bedroom.

When Wang Zhenwen saw him come in, he waved his hand, dismissed the maids, and asked bluntly:

“What are all the conditions?”

Qian Qingshu relayed the four conditions of Yunzhou.

“Counterparty! The Counterparty!!!”

Wang Zhenwen cursed several times and suddenly coughed violently.

Qian Qingshu sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking his back to help him smooth out his breath and sighed:

“Things have come to a head, and His Majesty has agreed to it all, but ceding the land of the three continents is impossible. His Majesty’s bottom line is to cede Yuzhou.”

“Recognizing the lineage of Subterranean Dragon City as the orthodoxy of the Central Plains, messing with the hearts and minds of my Da Dung, demanding money, draining my Da Dung of its financial resources, ceding three continents, and becoming completely powerful ………”

Wang Zhenwen muttered:

“It’s over, there’s no way back, there’s no way back.”

Even if Wei Yuan is resurrected, he will not be able to revitalize this game of chess.

Qian Qingshu sighed:

“But who can convince His Majesty? Besides, negotiating peace is the only way to follow the general trend. The only one in Da Feng who can buck the trend nowadays is Xu Qi’an.

“But ah, brother Wang, forcing Xu Qi’an to break with the imperial court is not a plot by the chaotic party in Yunzhou. The fact that he hasn’t shown up all this time is that he understands this.

“I have already found out that he is in the Si Tian Jian, and I have also sent a message; if he wanted to come, he would have come long ago.”

…………

Szeto, the great bedroom.

Xu Qi’an was immersed in the tub, his back leaning against the wall of the tub, and in his arms sat the Flower God, who was close to forty years old and whose body was more delicate and supple than a young girl’s.

She sat limply in Xu Qi’an’s arms, her head resting on his shoulder, her face flushed, her eyes misty, and her body without a trace of strength.

“Sh, what time is it ……..”

After a good intermission, Mu Nanjian asked breathlessly.

“Not long after lunch.”

Xu Qi’an pinched Mu Nanjian’s willow waist, not letting her leave his arms for a moment, in high spirits.

The beauty in her arms was plain white and soft, her skin was like ivory, delicate and elastic.

The lunch has passed ……… Mu Nanjian scolded with a crying voice:

“Are you an animal? Not letting me sleep all night, I, I won’t double-cultivate with you ………”

Compared to Little Lust, your combat power is really too weak ………. Xu Qi’an said:

“The first dual cultivation is the most effective, currently my qi is still growing, wait until it reaches its limit and then stop. The qi in your body is equally majestic, Nan Gardenia ah, do you know how many people long for this kind of cultivation where their cultivation skyrockets.”

By the tub, water stains splashed everywhere, and the clothes and bibs on the screen had long since slipped to the ground, soaked by the overflowing bath water.

The spacious, sturdy bed and couch were in a mess, the quilts had fallen to the floor, the sheets were crumpled and disheveled, and the pillows were not at the head of the bed, but across the center of it.

Thanks to the richness of the Flower God’s Spiritual Embodiment, Xu Qi’an used only one night to stabilize his foundation.

In a normal state, it takes about a decade to stabilize the realm and adapt to the power after promotion.

That’s when he felt the familiar palpitating sensation.

Beckoning to conjure pieces of the earth’s books from the scattered clothing.

[One: The Yunzhou mission has already had an audience with Yongxing, and Yunzhou has given four conditions.]

Huaiqing passed on a detailed book about his vocalization at the court meeting this morning in the earth book chat group.

At the end, a brief evaluation:

[One: a defeat, that Ji Yuan is an extremely powerful character, coupled with the use of power to suppress others, Yongxing and all the princes simply do not have the bargaining chips to negotiate with him.]

[Seven: Wimpy!

The Holy Son commented.

After Li Lingsu read Huaiqing’s relay, she felt suffocated on behalf of Da Feng, not to mention the cynical Li Miaozhen.

[2: This waste of emperor, if really cede the land of three continents, then Xu Pingfeng is not like a tiger with wings, Yunzhou army is not like a tiger with wings. Does Da Feng still have a chance to win?

[Xu Ningyan, what to do in the end, whether to fight or what, you say something.]

Xu Qi’an had seldom passed on letters to speak lately, appearing incredibly passive, which made Mistress Fei Yan’s anxious sleepless nights.

The other members of the Heaven and Earth Society were equally anxious, unable to do anything about the abyss that Da Bong was sliding into step by step before their eyes.

[3: Don’t worry about it, do your business without fear, I’ll take care of the peace talks.]

After a brief explanation, he embraced the limp and feeble Mu Nanjia while chatting privately with the schoolteacher Princess.

[3: Your Highness, is everything ready?]

………..

PS: This chapter originally had 8,000 words, and I’ve since deleted over a thousand. Alas, some heartache. This chapter is 6600 words, four thousand word chapter, the remaining two thousand six is to make up.